SATURDAY MORNING FAMILY THEMED SERVICE
A suggested traditional Shabbat morning service is listed here, for prayer
packets please visit www.buildaprayer.org.
Introduction: “Family. As defined by dictionary.com, family is "any group of
persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and
cousins." As defined by Urban Dictionary, "People you love and love you back, not necessarily
blood or biological, but you trust them and they trust you, and they take care of you and you take
care of them." Two very different definitions, and yet they continuously coincide every day of our
lives. We have encounters with "family" all the time, whether it's talking to our moms, joking with
our dads, hanging out with our brothers and sisters, or even relaxing with friends who we
consider our family, such as our sister B'nai B'rith Girls and brother Alephs. We see family
exemplified in the media as well, through movies, TV shows, and music. During today's service,
we will take a journey through the media's world of "family," and see how it relates directly to our
family in BBYO and our family at home! Throughout the service, you will get a chance to share
special family experiences or memories with everyone here as well. Please join us for the first
part of the service, the Birchot Hashachar, as we start by singing Mah Tovu, followed by Nissim
B’chol Yom. Mah Tovu is a prayer that praises our synagogue or our place of worship; the place
we find our Jewish family.”
Birchot Hashachar (the following prayers)
Mah Tovu
Nissim B’chol Yom
Cheaper by the Dozen
“One family-oriented movie that everyone has heard of is Cheaper by the Dozen. Not only is it
family-oriented, but it is about the "family" as well! In the movie, both the father and the mother
land their dream job and are forced to relocate their entire family of 12 kids (yes, TWELVE!) to a
new city to make it work. As the mother is away, the father must learn to deal with a huge number
of children, all with very different personalities and interests, and must bring the family back
together. Has anyone ever experienced a situation where your interests conflicted with a close
family member's? How did you resolve it, or put the family back together? (let people answer)
Please join us for the next part of the service, starting with Baruch Sheh’amar, the opening prayer
transitioning into the Pesuki D’zimrah.”
Pesuki D’zimrah (the following prayers)
Baruch Sheh’amar
Halleluyah (Psalm 150)
Ashrei
The Lion King
“Another favorite movie, hailing from Disney, is the Lion King. The Lion King, another movie about
family, is about a lion named Simba who runs away from being king after his father dies. While he
is gone, his family, left behind in the kingdom, is overtaken by his uncle Scar's rule, where they
are miserable. It takes a lot of courage, and a reminder from some old family friends, to get
Simba to come back and stick up for his family to save his kingdom on Pride Rock. Have you
ever saved your kingdom, or stuck up for a family member in need? What did you do? Feel free
to share. (Let people answer) Please join us for the Chatzi Kaddish.”
Chatzi Kaddish
Sh’ma and Its Blessings
“Next we have Bar’chu, Ahavah Rabbah, Sh’ma, Va’ahavta, and Vayomer Adonai, all prayers in
the “Sh’ma” part of the service. The sh’ma is a very important part of the service, and it is a
mitzvah to recite it twice a day. In many families, the parents sing the Sh’ma to their children
before they go to sleep.”
Bar’chu
Ahavah Rabbah
Sh’ma
V’ahavta
Vayomer Adonai El Moshe Numbers 15:27-41
Toy Story
“Another movie that relates to family is Disney-Pixar's Toy Story. Think of the toys; Woody, Buzz,
Jessie, the dinosaur, the pig, Mr. and Mrs. Potato-head, and many more. They form family bonds
within themselves and with Andy, a little boy who is the owner of these toys. As the Toy Story
series progresses, this "toy" family faces many challenges, especially in Toy Story 3. First, the
entire crew of toys has a difficult time parting with Andy as Andy goes away to college. Later,
when Buzz Lightyear is reset and forgets his true family, Woody and the gang will stop at nothing
to bring him home. These actions, sticking up for each other, are a true example of a family,
whether blood-related or not. Has a family member ever stuck up for you? What did they do?
Why is this so memorable? Feel free to share. (Let people answer) Please join us for Mi
Chamocha.”
Mi Chamocha
Amidah
“Next we have the Amidah, another extremely important part of the prayer service. Also known as
the “Standing Prayer,” it is a time for you to focus and connect with your prayers as you wish.”
Avot v’lmahot
G’vurot
Kedusha
Anastasia
“Anastasia is another Disney movie about the search for family. Anastasia, a Russian princess
who is separated from her family at a very young age, becomes an orphan who does not
remember who her real family is. Throughout the movie, she goes on a quest throughout Russia
to discover herself, find her family, and reunite with her grandmother, the Grand Duchess of
Russia. Have you ever been in a situation where you have been reunited with your family after a
long time of not being together? What was it like? Why was it so important? Feel free to share!
(Let people talk) Next, please join us for the V’shamru, followed by Retsei and Modim. V’shamru
is an important prayer that reminds us that even though we can relax on Shabbat, we cannot
forget to stay in touch with noble and spiritual causes.”
V’shamru
Retsei
Modim
Finding Nemo
“Another movie very much about family is Finding Nemo! Though it is well-known, it never gets
old. In the movie, Nemo, Marlin's only son, is captured by scuba divers and taken to 42 Wallaby
Way, Sydney, Australia, to live in a fish tank in the dentist's office with a few other captured fish.
Marlin, a normally timid and play-it-safe fish, decides to brave the entire ocean with his friend
Dori, facing jellyfish, sharks, and sea turtles just to find his son. This pushes the meaning of
"family" to the extreme, showing just how far a father will go to save his child. What is a situation
where your father, or mother, has done something incredible for you? What about you doing
something for them? What happened? Feel free to share! (Let people share) Please join us for
Sim Shalom, followed by the Silent Prayer and Oseh Shalom.”
Sim Shalom
Silent Prayer
Oseh Shalom
Up
“Another movie that exemplifies a version of family is the movie Up! Russel, a young boy who is
assigned to help an elderly person for a boyscout mission, ends up on an adventure with this old
man in a house flying through the air with helium balloons! Originally, the old man is very
annoyed with Russel and Russel's friends (the bird and the dog), but as the movie continues, the
old man grows fonder and fonder of Russel and they grow attached. They become almost like
family; like a grandfather and a grandson, as they save each other from danger. Do you have a
family member that has grown on you? Maybe a sibling who you used to disagree with but now
you get along? Why did that happen? How? Feel free to share.”
Torah Service
Ein Kamocha
Vayehi Binsoa Ha’aron
Baruch Shanatan Torah
Sh’ma Yisrael & Echad Eloheinu
Gadlu l’Adonia
Hakafah Precessional
Blessings for the reading of the Torah
Blessings after the Torah is Read
Debbie Friedman’s Mi Shebeirach
Haggbah
Blessings for the Haftorah
Blessings after the Haftorah
That 70’s Show
“Though this is not a movie, That 70's show is a final example of another type of family; the nonblood-related kind. Set in Wisconsin, the show is about a group of teenagers who live near each
other and who always have each other's backs. They act like family, from the way they act
towards each other to how often they hang out. Coming from a close-knit community, they are
each other's "brothers and sisters." In your life, do you have friends that you consider your
family? Who, and why? Feel free to share. (Let people talk) Please join us for Ye’hallelu, followed
by the concluding prayers, Aleinu and the Mourner’s Kaddish. We say the Mourner’s Kaddish for
those close to us, such as family members, who have passed and who can no longer say it for
themselves. Saying this blessing is a mitzvah, and by saying it, we do a mitzvah in their honor.”
Ye’hallelu
Concluding Prayers
Aleinu
Mourner’s Kaddish
Conclusion
“You have now been exposed to the many different family situations we see on TV, from family
conflicts, to sticking up for each other, to being there for each other, to being friends. How would
you describe your family? Are you close? Do you joke around a lot? Are you caring? When you
go home, do not be afraid to tell your family how much they mean to you, whether they are your
mother, father, brother, sister, or best friend. They will appreciate it, and it will only bring you guys
closer! Remember the definitions of family from before? The first was "any group of persons
closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins." The second was
"people you love and love you back, not necessarily blood or biological, but you trust them and
they trust you, and they take care of you and you take care of them." Think about these two
definitions, and which one is meaningful to you. Remember, your family will always be there, and
they care for you more than you will ever know.”